Advertise on podcast: Words Unravelled with RobWords and Jess Zafarris

English is enriched with a plethora of words from Ancient Greek, whether they were pilfered straight from source, or absorbed via Latin, French or Arabic. In this episode, Rob and Jess investigate just how many there are. 🪐 What do cosmos and chaos literally mean?🏠 Why is your attic named after Ancient Greece?🍇 Which fruit gave us the word sycophant? These questions answered, and many more, in another revelatory (or should that be "apocalyptic") episode of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/D36vMrZG2sc

Rob and Jess are investigating how some of the world's biggest brands got their names.📸 Does KODAK mean anything?🍟 Which Wendy is Wendy's named after?🍗 Does Popeyes have anything do with Popeye the Sailor?🍔 What was the Big Mac nearly called?These questions answered – and many more – in another Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/tE92FxDc9us

Let's explore city names in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and beyond in another etymological journey around the world.  🇦🇺 Is Darwin really named after Charles?🇨🇦 Is Ontario named after the lake or vice versa?🇹🇷 Which Turkish city is just called "to the city"?🇳🇿 What does the Māori name for Auckland mean? This questions answered, and many more, in another globe-trotting episode of Words Unravelled. WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/foQR0vsAAIc OTHER CITY EPISODEShttps://youtu.be/fR7IIZAy4Jshttps://youtu.be/p4bB1fOPtXI 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/

Rob and Jess are exploring the writing systems of the ancient world.𓀀 How do hieroglyphs work?✍️ When did writing first begin?🫆 And how did we solve the mystery of Linear B?For these answers, and many more, enjoy this gloriously outdated episode of Words Unravelled. Also, check out Stefan Milo on the Phaistos disc: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbkThIkdiM And Rob's video about hieroglyphs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90An1dnvwyc WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/m9AaobtBMtA 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/

Let's explore some funny sayings from around the world. In this episode, Rob and Jess discover other languages' equivalents of phrases like "raining cats and dogs", "cost an arm and a leg" and "one sandwich short of a picnic". Discover idioms in languages as diverse as Korean and Russia, Quebecois and Welsh in this wordy nerdy world tour of adages from overseas. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/YBIXXAipmZw

Rob and Jess are celebrating 100 episodes of Words Unravelled by sharing their top 100 wordy nerdy facts. 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/1PM_iwxAyb8 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/

Willkommen! Jess and Rob are exploring the German words in English. In this Zeitgeisty episode, discover: 👻 What doppelgänger literally means,📏 The longest German word,🤧 And why Americans say "Gesundheit!" when they sneeze.  Satisfy your linguistic wanderlust in another wunderbar edition of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/Lad89Mtao0U

You speak more Latin than you think. Not only are the many French words in English derived from Latin, but almost 30% of our vocabulary comes directly from the language of the Romans. In this episode, Rob and Jess explore how those words got there, what they literally mean, and whether we are using them correctly. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/52GtCvS7HCU ==LINKS==Rob's YouTube channel: youtube.com/robwordsJess' Useless Etymology blog: https://uselessetymology.com/Rob on X: x.com/robwordsytJess on TikTok: tiktok.com/@jesszafarris

Rob and Jess are taking the deepest of dives into the origins of words from the ocean.🐟 Are many fish 'fish' or 'fishes'?🦈 Why is there a mystery around sharks?🐠 What is a sarcastic fringehead?These questions answered, and many more, in this subaquatic special of Words Unravelled. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ROB EDINBURGH TICKETS: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 👀 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/-54FiJ0PsXo

Take a pinch of witchcraft, add a touch of sorcery, and "Hey presto!" you have a wordy nerdy episode about magical terms. 🧙 Can only women be witches?🔒 What did a warlock originally do?🪄 What is the literal meaning of 'Alakazam'? These questions answered – and many more – in another enchanting episode of Words Unravelled.  🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ROB'S EDINBURGH SHOW: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/O5DTL8Ogoo4

We're exploring the origins of common sayings relating to numbers in this episode. 🥉 Why is the third time a charm?⛅️ What's so great about "seventh heaven"?🙃 Why do we say "at sixes and sevens"? Rob and Jess explore these numerical idioms – and many more – in this magnificently mathematical edition of Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/gH0Zz10y9Ek

What did the Vikings do for us? Rob and Jess are exploring the words left behind by the Scandinavian invaders. 🪓 How much of English is Old Norse?🗺️ Which place names are inherited from "the Danes"?📝 How did the Norsemen change English grammar? These questions answered, and many more, in another Words Unravelled. 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ROB EDINBURGH TICKETS: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/La3toomR-ow

Why do Americans and Brits have the accents they have? Sociolinguist, professor and author Valerie Fridland joins Rob and Jess this week to discuss why we talk funny. 🍮 Does 'caramel' have one or two syllables?🪶 Do Americans sound more like Shakespeare than Brits?🎩 Why do some accents sound 'posher' than others? These questions answered, an many more, in another gloriously nerdy episode of Words Unravelled. 📘 VALERIE'S BOOKS 📕Why We Talk Funny: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/744046/why-we-talk-funny-by-valerie-fridland/Like, Literally, Dude: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671558/like-literally-dude-by-valerie-fridland/ 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 🎥 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/t71jZBSfack

How does an artist use a 'donkey'? What does 'Mona Lisa' actually mean? Who is the "dada" in Dadaism? Rob and Jess are explaining word origins from the art world in the latest Words Unravelled, exploring artists, artworks and art supplies. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿ROB'S EDINBURGH SHOW🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/0xi1MatI3pw

Rob and Jess are exploring deceptive words in other languages, like French, German and Spanish. So-called 'false friends' look familiar to English speakers but mean something very different. Watch this episode to avoid any sticky situations when you're next abroad. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ROB'S EDINBURGH SHOW 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Tickets: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/robwords-live 👕 OUR MERCH 👚US SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.com/EU/UK SHOP: https://wordsunravelledshop.myspreadshop.net/ 👀 WATCH THIS EPISODE: https://youtu.be/XA4d9r6Yu5A